Shloka 36
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
अस्या: सभामानयनं न चित्रमिति मे मति: । एकाम्बरधरत्वं वाप्यथ वापि विवस्त्रता
asyāḥ sabhāmānayanaṃ na citram iti me matiḥ | ekāmbaradharatvaṃ vāpy atha vāpi vivastratā, kurunandana | devatābhir striyai eka eva patir vihitaḥ; paraṃ tv iyaṃ draupadī anekapatyadhīnā, ataḥ niścayena veśyā | tasyāḥ sabhāyām ānayanaṃ nāścaryam | ekavastrā vā nagnā vāpi iha ānetuṃ śakyate—iti me spaṣṭā matiḥ ||
Karna berkata: “Pada pandanganku, tiada apa yang luar biasa dalam membawa dia ke balairung perhimpunan. Sama ada dia berselubung hanya sehelai kain, atau bahkan tanpa pakaian, dia boleh dibawa ke sini, wahai kebanggaan kaum Kuru. Para dewa telah menetapkan bagi seorang wanita hanya seorang suami; tetapi Draupadī ini berada di bawah ramai suami—maka dia pasti seorang pelacur istana. Oleh itu, dibawanya dia ke dewan ini bukanlah sesuatu yang menghairankan.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how adharma can be advanced through abusive rhetoric: Karna attempts to justify Draupadi’s public humiliation by attacking her marital status. The ethical lesson is that twisting social norms to degrade a vulnerable person is itself a grave moral failure, and speech can become an instrument of violence.
In the Kuru assembly during the dice-hall crisis, Draupadi is being brought into the court. Karna speaks harshly, arguing that bringing her in is not improper and that even disrobing would be acceptable, while branding her with a slur because she has multiple husbands.